10 DISCOVERY REPORTS 



Upper Cretaceous. It seems probable that more than one fauna is represented in 

 Rzehak's collection, the nummulite and orbitoids at least (noted by Karrer from near-by 

 Eocene) having been accidentally introduced. 



A paper by A. Liebus^ describes a fauna largely similar to that recorded by Rzehak in 

 his paper of 1891, but without the nummulite or orbitoids. As indicated in the title 

 Liebus, following Rzehak, assigns it to the Eocene on grounds that do not appear to be 

 adequate. He discusses the age on pp. 341-2, where he admits the very large and typic- 

 ally Upper Cretaceous element of the fauna, but relies on other species, of which he 

 quotes three, to prove the Tertiary age. Of these three, Glomospira gordialis (Parker and 

 Jones) has been recorded and figured from strata of most ages from the Carboniferous to 

 the present day, including the Cretaceous. The other two species he records as Vaginulina 

 briickentholi, Neugeboren, and Clavuliiia szaboi (Hantken). The fauna (or faunas, for 

 two are recorded) seems to be at least mainly of Upper Cretaceous age, and since Prof. 

 Liebus did not collect the material himself it may perhaps not be quite free from 

 suspicion of containing some admixed Tertiary forms. 



An important paper by O. Kiihn^ gives the full fossil evidence for the presence of 

 Danian strata, which are mapped as a number of small isolated outcrops in the Brudern- 

 dorf area. His map shows much more complex geological conditions than the older 

 map indicated. A foraminiferal fauna of forty-one species is listed by Ozawa (pp. 550- 

 2); while it contains some typical Cretaceous forms, species of Pseudotextularia are 

 not included. The evidence of this paper increases the probability that part of Rzehak's 

 mixed fauna is of Upper Cretaceous age. 



It may be recalled that the Esna Shales of Egypt were once held to be of Eocene age, 

 though they are now considered to be definitely Upper Senonian (Danian).^ I have a 

 considerable fauna of Foraminifera from them, hitherto unrecorded, including such 

 forms as Pseudotextularia varians, Rzehak, and P. globidosa (Ehrenberg). The Esna 

 Shales are thus probably equivalent to the Austrian strata noted above. 



According to the literature, therefore, the forms Pseudotextidaria globidosa, Rzehakina 

 epigona (of which two, however, only a single specimen each was found in the 

 Burdwood Bank material), and Spiroplectammina spectabilis may be taken as definitely 

 indicating an uppermost Cretaceous age. This appears to be valid in both Europe and 

 North and Central America. Cyclammina elegans, Cushman and Jarvis,** has recently 

 been described from the Upper Cretaceous of Trinidad, and so strengthens the evidence 

 for the presence of strata of this age on the Burdwood Bank. I have, however, lately 

 examined three samples of material from the South American region, with results 

 that cast doubts on the reliability of the first two species as Cretaceous indicators 



1 1927, Neue Beitrage zur Kenntnis der Eozanfauna des Krappfeldes im Karnten, Jahrb. Geo!. 

 Biindcsanst., Wien, lxxvii, pp. 333-92, pis. xii-xiv. 



^ 1930, Das Danien der ausseren Klippenzone bei Wien, Geol. Pal. AbJi., Wien, xxi, Heft 5, pp. 492-576, 

 pis. xxvi, xxvii. 



^ See W. F. Hume, 191 1, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc, lxvii, pp. 124-8. 



* 1932, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., lxxx, Art. 14, p. 13, pi. iii, figs. 6 a, b. 



